Page 125 of Body Check

“Please, call me Gavin,” he said.

“Uh, yeah. Wade said you wanted to talk to me, sir.”

Huh, for a big guy, Moon’s voice was soft and a little tentative. “Yes. Very much so,” Gavin assured him.

Moon hesitated. “I’m sorry I’ve been dodging any talk about a trade.”

“Look, I know trades suck,” Gavin said. “And uprooting your life to play for a team that’s been struggling doesn’t hold a lot of appeal. But I think we can offer you something unique here, Moon.”

“Rafe, please.”

“Can I be blunt with you, Rafe?”

“Sure.”

“The Harriers are not going to be in contention this season.”

There was silence on the other end for a moment. “You’ve sounded pretty optimistic about the team’s chances in your press conferences.”

“I’m also trying to sell tickets,” Gavin admitted, since they were speaking honestly. “It’ll be a miracle if we make the playoffs and if we do, I don’t anticipate us making it past the first round.”

“And this is how you sell me on joining your team?” Rafe asked, a touch of humor creeping into his voice.

Gavin laughed. “No. This is me being honest with you. We’re struggling. With Jesse Webber in net, we’ve got something to build on. But he needssupport. Tanner Clayton’s doing what he can, but the team needs someone willing to put his body on the line for us.”

“I’m not a fighter, sir,”

“Gavin,” he reminded Rafe. “And I don’t need a fighter. I’ve got Luke Crawford. I need a big-bodied guy willing to eat some pucks and show the young defensemen how it’s done.”

“Okay …”

“Do you know Mickey Krause?”

“Not personally. Just by reputation. He’s German, yeah?”

“Yeah. Played in the DEL before coming over here. He’s got the potential to be a hell of a player,” Gavin admitted. “But we haven’t found him the right D-partner. He’s too tentative. He doesn’t have the confidence yet. He needs someone to show him the ropes.”

“And you think I can do that?”

“I hope you can,” Gavin admitted. “If you’re telling me that’s a role you don’t want, fine. I’ll keep looking elsewhere. But I like the way you play, Rafe. And I’d like to offer you a spot on the Harriers. I’d like to put you on our second d-pairing and give you more minutes than you’ve been getting in Minnesota.”

“I’ve been playing like shit lately.”

“You have,” Gavin agreed, because he wasn’t going to sugar coat it if Rafe wasn’t. “But you went through a breakup, yeah?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t exactly sound happy.

“Look, I know everyone likes to pretend players are able to set their personal lives aside and focus on the game,” he said. “We know that’s not always true. Sometimes the personal creeps in. We do our best, but we can’t always help it. It’s gotta be tough playing with your ex.”

“I thought I could handle it,” Rafael said gruffly. “But I guess not.”

“I can only imagine how difficult that would be,” Gavin said. “So, if you want to get away and start fresh, I can offer you that.”

“Honestly? I want Logan back,” Rafael muttered, the hurt in his voice palpable.

“Oh. Well, that I can’t help you with,” Gavin admitted.Fuck, he hadn’t anticipated that.

“No one can.” Rafael sighed. “I’d hoped to maybe win him back during the holiday break, but uh, apparently Logan’s moved on with someone else. So, I guess I should too. I guess there’s no point in me staying here.”

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